Namárië
by Lady of Ithilien
Summary: Frodo says goodbye to his friends at the Grey Havens - written for three very special people.


Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the good Professor. I'm just playing around in the sandbox and hoping I don't mess things up too much.  
  
Author's Note: I've been planning this vignette ever since I learned that my family and I would probably be moving back to my home state of Florida. I was very happy about this news, but there was one thing holding me back - moving would mean leaving my dear friends behind. In the end I decided that the move was in my family and my best interest. All that was left was saying goodbye, and so I decided to write this.  
  
I could never do this scene justice, just as I could never write anything that would properly express how I feel about the people I wrote this for, but I needed a way to say goodbye, and this was the best I could do. Anyone who happens to read this from FFN, don't feel obligated to review. It's not my best work, but it's from my heart, and I hope the people I wrote it for will accept this as a proper farewell.  
  
Namárië  
  
The Grey Havens, 1421 S.R.  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
As the Towers came into view beyond the hills, Merry and Pippin urged their ponies on into the mists that surrounded the Grey Havens that evening. Neither companion had spoken since they first set out, but their minds had been racing, asking that same question - why? But deep down they knew it did not matter, that they could do no more than wonder. All that mattered was that Frodo Baggins was leaving them once more - and this time, he would not be coming back.  
  
But wonder they did at their friend's decision. They had not been blind to the pain that had lingered in Frodo's eyes ever since his return from the Land of Shadow, but they had not believed it to be enough for him to leave his beloved home forever. Was there truly nothing to be done? Could no mortal hand heal the wounds in Frodo's weary soul?  
  
'Surely,' Pippin thought as his pony climbed the final hill overlooking the Grey Havens. 'Surely there is something we can do for him? It can't be entirely out of our reach!'  
  
Yet Pippin knew that thought to be false the moment it entered his mind. He had encountered so many things in his travels that were beyond his comprehension, and though he and his companions had beaten the odds many times, there would always be those things that went far beyond his understanding. Somehow he knew that the call of the Sea was one of these things. And suddenly he found that this was perfectly all right.  
  
He would have to accept the fact that there were some things he could only wonder at. And he would have to accept Frodo's departure from his life forever; but at that moment Pippin realized that this was not so difficult a task after all. Maybe he didn't understand Frodo's pain - but he didn't need to. He knew now that Frodo would only find happiness far away, across the Sea. And if finding peace meant that Frodo had to leave his friends behind, so be it.  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
Merry's mind was abuzz with thoughts not so different from his cousin's; but within his heart, anger was beginning to mingle with the grief that he thought might tear him apart. It wasn't fair. Frodo had fought so hard, lost so much, all for the good of others, and yet for his sufferings he had received only pain. How could fate be so cruel to this one person who had been pushed to the brink and beyond to bring salvation to the world?  
  
'Why did it have to be you, Frodo?' Merry thought, desperately blinking back tears. 'Why did fate have to choose you to fall?'  
  
When they reached the harbor, Merry saw Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, and many Elves gathered before a ship. The two hobbits dismounted their ponies, and Merry heard Pippin laugh and speak to Frodo.  
  
Merry gazed thoughtfully at his older cousin, his pain deepening when he saw the sorrow in Frodo's face. But Merry was surprised to find something different in Frodo's once-mournful eyes - something that bordered on serenity, almost a sense of...  
  
Relief.  
  
When he looked into those eyes, Merry felt his sadness begin to ebb away ever so slightly. He knew the pain of Frodo's absence would forever remain, but it would be greatly lessened by the knowledge that Frodo would be in a place where sorrow could not touch him.  
  
Merry realized that Gandalf had begun speaking, and he listened to the wizard's words.  
  
"Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."  
  
And as he looked upon the wizard's kindly face, Merry finally allowed his tears to flow, and the feeling of release those tears brought made him wonder why he had fought them in the first place.  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
'This can't be it,' Sam thought desperately. 'This can't be the end!'  
  
How could Frodo be leaving now, when everything was green and beautiful and bright again? How could he be going away just when Middle-earth was coming alive again?  
  
Not for the first time, Sam wondered if there was anything he could have done to help his beloved master against the evil that had nearly consumed them all, and had brought Frodo into the darkest depths of despair. Perhaps if Sam had fought a bit harder, been a bit stronger...  
  
Sam chased these thoughts from his mind before he had the chance to finish them. There was no use wondering what might have been, no use lingering on things that could not be undone. It didn't matter anymore. Now was the time for Sam to hear the one word he dreaded the most - goodbye.  
  
Frodo came forward and kissed each of his friends on the brow, first Pippin, then Merry, and lastly Sam, who felt an unexpected resignation come over him at Frodo's touch. Frodo would be going over the Sea, where he would find healing and peace; and Sam would be returning to Bag End, his home, where his family was waiting. They would both at long last be whole again.  
  
As he watched the ship sail away from the shore, a realization came to Sam - this was not really the end. As he watched the light that Frodo beared disappear into the distance, Sam knew in his heart that this was not really goodbye.  
  
'Farewell for now, Frodo. Farewell for now.'  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
Frodo breathed deeply, filling his chest with the scent of the Sea, and for a moment the weight on his heart lessened. Though the memory of his friends' mournful faces was still clear in his mind, Frodo knew that the pain of his departure would not burn forever in their hearts. Responsibilities would increase, families would grow, and Merry, Pippin, and Sam would all be able to live their lives to the fullest.  
  
'Yes,' Frodo thought with a small smile. 'I suspect they shall be quite busy. And like me, they will be just fine.'  
  
With a final tear, Frodo bid a silent farewell to those three wonderful hobbits who had touched his heart the most.  
  
'Namárië, dear friends.'  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
One by one, the three hobbits turned away from the vast Sea and mounted their ponies. No words were exchanged as they rode away from the Havens; no words were wanted, none were needed. Their hearts were heavy with sorrow that they knew would pass in time. They mourned their friend's departure, but they would not allow despair to overpower them. They knew that they would be able to go on as long as they forever carried the memory of Frodo Baggins with them.  
  
In their hearts, they knew they would never see Frodo again in Middle- earth. Yet there were times, when the stars were bright and all else was silent, that they would look to the sky and hear the gentle voice of their friend, whispering in the wind. And in those moments, they knew without a doubt that Frodo had never really left them.  
  
* ~ * ~ *  
  
For James, Jillian, and Sam. No words can fully express just how wonderful you three have made my life. I love you all so much, and saying goodbye to you is one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do. But I know you'll be fine without me, and I know you know this isn't really the end. So farewell for now. 


End file.
